Bulletin, Record, Progressive, Reporter Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014 11B
COMMUNITY
PERS P E C T IVE
Stewardship continues to work on Mt. Hough Trail System
The Sierra Buttes Trail
Stewardship is pleased to
confirm the ongoing
development of the Mt.
Hough Trail System.
Working in partnership
with Plumas County and the
Plumas National Forest Mt.
Hough District, and funded
via California off-highway
vehicle funding, this project
epitomizes several principles
that are central to SBTS:
community involvement,
interagency cooperation and
support, and the creation of
multiuse recreational trails
as a community asset.
One important factor in
causing this project to come
to fruition has been the desire
at the county level to see the
WHERE I STAND
MIKE FERRENTINO
SIERRA BUTTES TRAIL
• STEWARDSHIP
community succeed. The
Plumas Board of Supervisors,
realizing the high level of
motivation amongst the local
citizens, did a stellar job of
advocating multiagency
support and worked at
pushing this project through.
Featuring a network of
combined OHV-legal and
other multiuse trails, the
network will total over 27
miles of handcrafted trail
built almost entirely by local
labor. The Mt. Hough system
has been in the planning
stages for several years, and
will serve as a recreational
draw for Quincy for
generations to come.
The combining of
California OHV grants and
Plumas National Forest
access and cooperation
ensures that the next three
years will be a productive
period of trail building in this
region. Completion of this
trail project will enhance and
broaden the already highly
regarded reputation of
Plumas County trails.
That&apos;s the straight and
narrow of it. But let's take
that a level deeper. This place
is home to many of us. Most
of our trail building crew, the
same people you know from'
volunteer workdays and have
seen out on the trails over the
years -- Henry, Troy, Cody --
live in Quincy. We are
headquartered a few miles
down the road from there in
Clio.
These trails matter to us.
They matter, obviously,
because on a purely selfish
level we want more trails to
play on. More than that, they
matter because at our core we
strongly believe this:
enhancing the opportunities
for outdoor recreation in an
area is a proven way to help
the social and economic
health of the surrounding
community. And, since we
live here, we want to invest in
the health of this community,
and see it flourish.
It has been a long time
since anyone has invested in
recreational trail use on this
level up here. And it is
something of a landmark of
cooperation between
community, federal agencies,
state agencies and our
stewardship that this is
happening.
At the bureaucratic level,
this is akin to magic. It
doesn't happen predictably or
often that everyone's goals
and needs are aligned in the
same direction and the same
timeframe. This is really
something commendable, and
we are thankful for those
partnerships for making this
become a reality.
We think getting people out
enjoying the outdoors is
important. We believe that
building and maintaining
world-class trails is a key to
unlocking that potential for
enjoyment. We really (clich6
as this may be about to
sound) believe that when
people are given a chance to
savor the grandeur of nature
and at the same time breathe
hard and have some fun, they
absorb some sense of why
this big outside world of ours
needs to be cherished,
respected, loved and
stewarded. We're hippies that
way. And proud of it.
We hope to see you up here;
we've got some trails to talk
about!
LETTERS to the EDITOR
Guidelines for Letters
All letters must contain an
address and phone number.
Only one letter per week per
person will be published; and
only one letter per person per
month regarding the same
topic. Feather Publishing
does not print third-party,
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Letters must not exceed 300
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should not mention the author
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may change due to holidays.)
Letters may be submitted at
any of Feather Publishing's
offices, sent via fax to 283-3952
or e-mailed to
dmalonald@plumasnews.mm.
A safer road
To Caltrans, CHP and
everyone else involved
trimming Highway 70 from
Portola to Bordertown...
I support Engel
We have an election
coming up soon. I live in
District 5 and we are voting
for a new supervisor. My
support is going to JeffEngel.
I have known Jeff for several
years and I have found him
and his family to be
hard-working, reliable,
friendly and trustworthy.
Joiner
E ffecient
F air
Focused
Energy
N ice
Grandfather
Electric
Likable.
Barbara Mowrey
Blairsden
I know Jeff Engel
I first met Jeff when he was
a freshman at Portola High
School.
Seven years later he
thanks much.
..... married Jennifer. Her aunt
Tl!,v!bil!I;Y--,.0OR9 ,,, .......  Marityn said, "Come
much" b6tter for the animals honeymoon in Oxnard. You
safety and ours. Much can stay on our boat. We'll go
appreciated.
Holly Johnson
Portola
More deputies needed
I am writing because I am
concerned about the lack of
patrol deputies in our
communities. It is mind-
boggling how one deputy is
expected to cover Indian
Valley as well as Chester and
its surrounding areas at the
same time. We all know how
long it takes to travel those
distances on a good day.
This lack of adequate
staffing not only puts the
communities at risk but it
also puts the deputy at risk.
They obviously cannot be
their own back-up.
Indian Valley and Chester
are two different
communities that deserve a
minimum of two patrol
deputies. Although there are
two deputies on at night, they
normally ride together for
their safety, which equates to
one patrol unit covering two
areas. There should be a
patrol unit in each area for
quicker response times,
which prevents crime.
Our resident deputies have
taken the time over the years
to get to know the
community members and
have earned their respect.
This allows the deputies to
resolve issues quickly and
accurately•
Deputy Phil Shannon and
Deputy Steve Clark are two
fine examples of deputies
who have lived and patrolled
these communities for many
years and it shows in the low
crime rate in Indian Valley.
They have been
instrumental in preventing
any crime from getting out of
control. They, as well as our
other resident deputies, have
always been visible and
active in the community. We
are very lucky to have them
here.
These deputies are now
expectedto respond back and
forth between Indian Valley
and Chester on a moment's
notice which is a disservice
to the communities.
Margaret Davis
Greenville, CA
fishing off the Channel
Islands." An expert scuba
diver, Jeff rented diving gear,
and got fish, scallops and
lobsters. Returning he asked
Jennifer, "How would you
like living here?"
She said," Whereever you
are is my home now."
A sign at the boatyard said
'help wanted'. Jeff talked
with Lenard, the owner.
Scraping the bottom of boats
paid $2.35 per hour. Jeff said
he needed $4.00, as he'd left a
$7.00 per hour job laying out
road for the USFS: He got a
job as a laborer and soon ran
a crew of four.
The owner told Jeff he '
wanted to vacation two
months sailing the coast of
Italy. He asked Jeff to
manage the yard while he
was gone. When the owner
returned the yard had made
the fwst profit since he'd
bought it.
At 25, Jeff was made
manager, given a new
company truck and a year
later was made vice
president.
Jeff and Jen bought a
beautiful home with a big
swimming pool in Ojai. Their
daughter Jaymie was born.
All was well, but they missed
Plumas County. So, they
bought the old Satley Store.
Jen sold groceries and
sandwiches.
The boatyard was sold and
Jeff agreed to remain as
manager for one year. He was
given a note for 15 percent of
the business and told Jen,
"We have income for two
years." But he wanted to buy
a dump truck, trailer and
backhoe and go into
business.
I went to Oxnard and drove
his pickup back; Jeff drove
the dump truck.
With the note as collateral,
Jeff paid back a bank loan
and still had income.
We have three daughters:
Jennifer, Cindy and Melissa.
Jeff married Jen 40 years ago
and Jeff is the son we never
had. He's honest, reliable and
would make a great county
supervisor.
Ole Olsen
Graeagle
Hall is really one of us
I suppose Doug LaMalfa's
supporters must consider
Heidi Hall a viable
alternative to replacing him
in the First District
Congressional seat, or they
wouldn't bother to abscond
with her signs. Can't say I
disagree with them, although
sign stealing isn't an
appropriate way to express
one's view in a democracy.
Hall is, in fact, more than a
viable alternative to
first-term Representative
LaMalfa, whose slogan, "He's
one of us," I find seriously
amusing (oxymoron
intended).
It strikes me as being the
height of hypocrisy to vote
for farm subsidies that
benefit your family's
agricultural business and
contribute to your personal
wealth, while at the same
time voting down food
stamps for those either
unable to find a job in a
still-weak economy or
working multiple low.paying
jobs and still unable to make
ends meet.
Heidi Hall is a product of
the middle class that is
struggling to maintain itself.
She really does understand
how difficult it is for working
Americans to hang onto even
a shred of the "dream," much
less prosper. She's smart and
she gets it.
I recently heard Hall speak,
and I like what she stands for
-- a return to civility in the
halls of Congress and a
pledge to work across the
aisle to produce real help for
the middle class; a reduction
of interest rates on student
loans to help college students
gain the education we keep
telling them they must have
in order to get ahead; and
increased services to
veterans, a group we laud
mightily in patriotic frenzy,
yet ignore when they return
from combat and need
assistance.
It behooves Plumas County
voters to consider supporting
Hall's candidacy for
Congress. When it comes to
seeing someone as being "one
of us," she's a much better fit
than Doug LaMalfa.
Susan Christensen
Quincy
Services shouldn't depend
on profit
Imagine having your water
turned off because you have a
balance due of $150 or were
two months behind on your
bill. This is happening in
Detroit. The once thriving
home of America's auto
industry, Detroit is in
Chapter 9 bankruptcy and
the residents without
employment. Michigan's
republican governor
appointed an "emergency
manager" who has mandated
the city to turn offpeople's
water (but not businesses) for
nonpayment. Over 5,000
homes and over 19,000 people
are denied water.
Water is a fundamental
requirement for life. People
die without clean water.
Detroit's emergency
manager, in essence, is
willing to kill people if they
can't pay their water bill. Is
this what America has
become? America has over $1
billion/month for war in the
('we've always been at war
with East Asia') Middle East,
but we let America crumble
and Americans die:
Our ancestors learned that
a thriving and healthy
civilization required certain
common necessities. They
built aqueducts and sewer
systems -- the most basic
societal requirements. As
societies matured, other
necessities such as garbage
collection and power were
also made part of the
commons.
A community's public
works department used to
handle these public utilities•
The services were provided
to the community at cost.
Communities realized that
only one delivery mechanism
is more efficient, therefore it
was owned by the
community.
Then, things changed as
evident by the Detroit water
issue. We have let greed
infiltrate our pubic utilities.
Private corporations, whose
only mission is to earn a
profit for their shareholders,
were allowed to own and
operate public utilities.
Whereas people used to pay
for only the cost of the
service, now people also pay
shareholders's dividends.
This is wrong. Private
corporations providing a,
public service must be
eliminated. Nobody should
profit from common services
required to live and for
societies to thrive.
Mark Mihevc
Graeagle
Is this our future?
It is 2024 -- Barack,
Hillary, Harry, their courts
and the other progressives
won.
Religion: reading your
Bible alone -- assuming you
saved one before they were
confiscated. There are no
churches or public worship.
• The word "God" and
references to Him are
scrubbed from all books,
public buildings, private
homes, open speech and all
communications
(atheism/courts).
To control population
(Agenda 21) and because
morality and conscience no
longer exist, births are
controlled by abortion.
With religion eliminated,
marriage is unnecessary.
People cohabitate at will.
There are no family units.
Children who are allowed
to live are raised by "the
village." Common core
(federal education) prepares
them to perform duties
assigned by the government.
Disabled children are
euthanized or sent to
institutions where their care
is determined by the United
Nations. (UNICEF)
The elderly
(ACA/Sunstein), disabled,
toddlers (Holdren); and
others who do not contribute
to the common good can be
eliminated.
Communications (NSA),
medical records (ACA), and
personal fmances (IRS) are
government monitored,
Personal responsibility and
consequences for bad
behavior are obsolete.
Transgressors are
rehabilitated (Colorado).
Government controls
water, agriculture, ranching
(BLM/EPA/Agenda 21);
business and industry
(taxes/regulations); and
banks (Justice
Department/Federal
Reserve).
To protect the
environment, people must
work, live and play in
concentrated population
centers (EPA/Agenda
21/Forest Service).
Government provides food,
clothing, shelter,
transportation, medical care,
etc. (entitlements).
To ensure income and
social equality, personal
wealth is prohibited -- except
for the "leaders."
Citizenship is optional
(open borders).
Elections are irrelevant--
no citizenship or
identification necessary.
Islam is spreading
(Michigan), as is Sharia law
(Oklahoma).
Opposition to governmenL
and gun ownership are
banned (Civilian National
Security Force/Justice
Department/IRS/courts).
China and Russia own
most of the U.S. (national
debt).
Government is federally
centralized. States have no
sovereignty (grants).
...Constitution? What
constitution?
Lynn Desjardin
Portola
No defense for bad
behavior
Either at the end of the
1980s or the beginning of the
1990s, I happened to hear a
segment of a Rush Limbaugh
talk radio show at a friend's
house. I had never heard of
him, so I decided to listen to
him for a while. It didn't take
long to catch onto his drift so
I mentally tuned him out, but
the one thing that struck me
was his answer to a critic
who wanted to know how he
could call himself part of the
"family values" party when
he was divorced.
Rush answered that it was
not his fault that he was
divorced. It was his wife who
sued him for divorce. No'
matter who sued whom,
something was wrong with
that family's values.
The other day, commenting
on the new sexual assault
regulations at Ohio State,
Rush said, "No means yes if
you know how to spot it."
That falls right in with his
statement that our harsh
treatments of Islamic
prisoners were no worse than
college pranks.
His prisoner comment
argues that it is all right to
ignore the Geneva
Conventions and to blindfold,
water-board, harm and
otherwise terrify prisoners.
His Ohio State comment
argues that it is all right for a
male to force his attentions
on a woman when hethinks
he has "spotted" her "no" as
"yes." Isn't that what they
call rape?
Both comments defend
aggressive and abusive
behavior.
I wonder if he mistakenly
"spotted" a "yes" when his
former wife had said "no."
Salvatore Catalano
Taylorsville
Global warming debunked
Thanks to our local
Caltrans for clearing the
brush along Highway 70
between Beckwourth and
Highway 395. Kudos to the
dedicated crews and
Highway Patrol offmers for
keeping it safe during the
clearings.
"Warmers" will deny this:
A study just conducted by the
National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration
See Letters, page 12B
Contact your elected officials...
PLUMAS COUNTY SUPERVISORS - 520 Main Street, Room 309,
Quincy, CA 95971; (530) 283-6170; FAX: (530) 283-6288; E-Mail:
pcbs@countyofplumas.com. Individual supervisors can also be
e-mailed from links on the county website, countyofplumas.com
PRESIDENT - Barack Obama, the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.,
NW Washington, D.C. 20500. (202) 456-1414. Fax: 202-456-2461.
E-mail: whitehouse.gov/contact/
U.S. SENATOR - Dianne Feinstein (D), 331 Hart Senate Office Bldg.,
Washington, D.C. 20510. (202) 224-3841; FAX: 202-228-3954; TrY/TDD:
(202) 224-2501; District Office: One Post Street, Suite 2450, San
Francisco, CA 94104; Phone: (415) 393-0707; Fax: (415) 393-0710
Website: feinstein.senate.gov.
U.S. SENATOR - Barbara Boxer (D). District Office: 501 1 St., Suite 7-600
Sacramento, CA 95814. (916) 448-2787; FAX (916) 448-2563; OR 112 Hart
Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20510. (202) 224-3553. FAX (202) 228-0454.
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, 1ST DIST. - Doug LaMalfa. 506 Cannon HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515. (202) 225-3076. lamalfa.house.gov.
DISTRICT OFFICES: 1453 Downer St., Suite #A, Oroville, CA 95965; 2885
Churn Creek R., Suite #C, Redding, CA 96002.
STATE SENATOR, 1st DIST. - Ted Gaines. State Capitol, Room 3070
Sacramento, CA 95814. (916) 651-4001, FAX: (916) 324-2680. El Dorado
Hills Constituent Service Center. 4359 Town Center Boulevard, Suite 112
El Dorado Hills, CA 95762. (916) 933-7213, FAX (916) 933-7234; Redding
Constituent Service Center. 1670 Market St., Suite 244, Redding, CA
96001, (530) 225-3142, FAX (530) 225-3143.
STATE ASSEMBLYMAN, 1ST DIST. - Brian Dahle, State Capitol,
Room 2174, Sacramento, CA 94249, (916) 319-2001; FAX (916) 319-2103.
District Office, 2080 Hemsted Dr., Ste. #110, Redding, CA 96002;
(530) 223-6300, FAX (530) 223-6737.
GOVERNOR - Jerry Brown, office of the Governor,
Capitol, Suite 1173, Sacramento, CA 95814. Website: gov.ca.gov/
(916) 445-2841. FAX: (916) 558-3160.
State